‘Juuling’: The most widespread phenomenon you’ve never heard of

A new front has opened in the never-ending game of cat and mouse between teenagers and adults — over Juuling, a discreet form of vaping that is the most widespread phenomenon you’ve likely never heard of.

In some high schools, the “Juuling in the bathroom” problem has gotten so intense that administrators are sending home e-mails warning parents about the dangers of e-cigarettes in general — and, in particular, about a brand called Juul, which makes sleek devices that are easily concealed and often mistaken for thumb drives.

In Newton, an Oct. 31 e-mail to parents showed a cop-show-style evidence photo with a dire caption: “Here is a Juul device disguised as a Sharpie Pen.”

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The e-mail also schooled parents who may be unfamiliar with the whole vaping trend. “Electronic cigarettes are devices that utilize stored electricity to heat a liquid into vapors, which are then inhaled by the user,” the letter read. “The liquid can be anything from a flavored water-type mixture to liquid nicotine to THC, the principal active element of marijuana.” Bottom of Form

The letter warned that recent studies “suggest e-cigarettes are the latest ‘gateway’ to harder drug use.”

A psychologist who sees patients in Boston’s upscale western suburbs told the Globe that every teen he treats now uses a Juul. One patient, a student at a prestigious local private school, secretly used his parents’ credit cards to buy thousands of dollars of Juuls online, and then turned around and sold the devices and flavored pods to other kids at a profit.

He was eventually expelled, said the therapist, who requested anonymity to protect his patients’ privacy.

Beyond the fact it can get them in trouble, many kids think there’s nothing wrong with vaping or using a Juul. But John Ross, a hospitalist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital who contributes to the Harvard Health Blog, said long-term safety data on e-cigarettes do not yet exist.

On the positive side, he wrote in a 2016 post, “E-cigarettes are almost certainly less lethal than conventional cigarettes. Now the bad news. Nicotine in e-cigarettes may have several negative health effects. Chronic nicotine exposure may lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. . . . Inhaled nicotine increases heart rate and blood pressure. Nicotine is highly addictive in its own right, and it may lead to changes in the brain that increase the risk of addiction to other drugs, especially in young people.”

A Juul “starter” kit costs $49.99 if you buy it online from the company. It includes a re-chargeable Juul device, a USB charger, a warranty, and a four-pack of the flavored Juul pods. On its website, the company promises a “powerful vapor experience” and says the nicotine in one pod is approximately equivalent to a whole pack of cigarettes, “or 200 puffs.”

A banner across the top of the website clearly states that its products are for those 21 and older, and would-be purchasers are alerted that an adult must sign for delivery.

Juul pods come in kid-friendly flavors, but in a statement e-mailed to the Globe, the company emphasized its position that its products are intended for those 21 and older.

“JUUL Lab’s mission is to eliminate cigarette smoking by offering existing adult smokers with a better alternative to combustible cigarettes,” the statement read. “We strongly condemn the use of our product by minors, and it is in fact illegal to sell our product to minors. No student at any high school should be in the possession of a Juul product.

Even so, kids are managing to score what they need — one high schooler says Juul starter kits can be purchased on the resale market for around $80. Students are Juuling in the boys and girls rooms, hallways, and even in class, where they take a hit and then swallow the vapor or exhale it into their hoodies when the teacher isn’t looking.

‘The flavors are good. You can do tricks with it. You can ghost it.’

One high schooler described why teens like it: “It gives you a head rush,” he said. “The flavors are good. You can do tricks with it. You can ghost it” — breathe the vapor out and then back in. “It looks cool.”

Although many parents have never, or only recently, heard of Juuling, every student approached by a Globe reporter in multiple suburbs not only was familiar with the product, but had a story.

“In history class today, a kid pulled something out of his pocket and a Juul fell out,” said a junior girl in Needham.

When you walk into the bathrooms, she added, you can hear the faint but distinct crackling sound the liquid makes. “It’s usually fairly obvious.”

It was the same deal in Newton. “People are [openly] charging them at school,” said a freshman girl hanging out at Rancatore’s ice cream after school.

“On Snapchat, I’ve seen people Juuling in class,” said her friend.

In Needham, high school principal Aaron Sicotte said the devices are so benign-looking that “we’ve had situations where [a Juul] has fallen out of a bag and a teacher has handed it back to them not knowing what they were giving back.”

He described the challenges of catching a student in the act: Because Juul pods come in flavors (including mango and crème brulee), the sweet odor “can almost be attributed to a light perfume,” Sicotte said.

“It can happen so fast,” he added. “A student can step in a bathroom stall or in a hallway and take a quick hit. It’s opening up a whole new set of options that students haven’t had in the past.”

Wellesley High School catches about two kids a month vaping, most using Juuls, according to principal Jamie Chisum. “We have a lot of suspicions about students selling cartridges here too.”

The school is planning an educational night in March for parents, and in the meantime, officials have increased monitoring of bathrooms.

In Braintree, Juuling has gotten so popular that two broadcast journalism students made a news-style video about it, complete with a female Juuler whose voice is changed to conceal her identity as she describes where she partakes.

“In the girls bathroom,” she says in a strange techno-voice, “and sometimes in class,and I blow it into my sweat shirt.”

Like a lot of teenagers, Emily Linskey — the video’s cocreator and on-screen reporter — was surprised to learn that Juuls contain so much nicotine.

“I thought it was a way healthier choice than cigarettes — it won’t give you as much cancer,” she told the Globe. “But finding out that one pod is equivalent to one pack of cigarettes was shocking.”

Meanwhile, even as kids are Juuling to be cool, doing it the wrong way can backfire, at least that’s the word from two Needham High athletes.

Seniors confident in their social rank, they sat parked outside the school and criticized freshmen who are so inexperienced they huddle around a Juul and then try to look innocent when someone walks in on the action.

“If you know what you’re doing,” one of the boys said, “you go in a stall.”

Related story;
The Food and Drug Administration said it had issued warning letters to several dozen retailers and demanded that Juul Labs submit company documents with health and marketing information.Complete story (PDF)

E-Cigarettes: What Vaping Does to Your Body:

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigs, have been on the market in the U.S. since 2008 and have gained wider use in recent years.
Now, evidence is beginning to emerge on e-cigs' short-term effects, and their positive and negative impact on people's health. website link

ATLANTA (CNN) While smoking has gone down among teens; overall tobacco use has remained steady. It's because vaping has become so common.
The CDC says more than 2 million U.S. middle and high school students used e-cigarettes or vaping in 2016, and apparently many teens mistakenly think there's no health risk.
In Milford, Connecticut, high school Principal Francis Thompson is desperately trying to snuff out a problem teachers are having all across the country. "They'd come in here and you'd have four or five kids at a time congregating, and they'd start to vape," Thompson said.
It's a trend that many parents are not aware of, but e-cigarette use, or 'vaping,' has grown an astonishing 900-percent among high school students in recent years according to the surgeon general. And a 2016 national youth tobacco survey found nearly 1.7 million high school students and 500,000 middle schoolers had used e-cigarettes in just the 30-day period before the survey was taken. in Wrentham, Massachusetts, assistant vice principal Spencer Christie says he too is overwhelmed by this new and pervasive epidemic. "Now it's moved to students vaping in hallways, students vaping in classrooms," he said. "The most popular form item which is the Juul. It looks like a flash drive. It's not, and the kids can just tuck it away when they're done. So."
It's not just the design of these products; critics say all of these flavors also entice kids to start vaping. One study out of Harvard found some of these flavors contain diacetyl, a chemical linked to severe respiratory disease.
"The kids that I talk to believe that there's nothing in there that's dangerous. They don't think there's anything more than water," Thompson said.
It's not water, it's called e-liquid, and when heated by the coil it's changes to an aerosol. Columbia University researchers found the vapor has toxic metals like chromium, nickel, zinc and lead -- and as we know there is no safe level of lead. With very little regulation, people are not fully aware of what they are consuming.
"Youth is deeply concerning to me. We going to be taking some enforcement actions very soon to target companies that we think are marketing products in ways that are deliberately appealing to kids. I am going to be having conversations with some of these companies trying to um, inspire them if I can, to take more corrective actions on their own," said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb.
Don't forget, nicotine is one the most addictive substances out there.
"I think it's the next epidemic among teenagers," Thompson said.Link to story

Safety tips for parents;
As e-cigarettes (also called “vapes”) have become more popular, more children are being accidentally exposed to nicotine-containing e-liquids—which can cause injury and even death. If you’re an adult who vapes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants you to know that it’s important to keep these products away from kids, and to be prepared in case of emergencies.Food & Drug website

We are committed to a science-based approach that addresses the public health issues associated with tobacco use. That's why we collaborate with CDC on the only nationally representative survey of middle and high school students that focuses exclusively on tobacco use—the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). NYTS was designed to provide national data on long-term, intermediate, and short-term indicators key to the design, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive tobacco prevention and control programs.The complete article

General information;
Vaporizers, E-Cigarettes, and other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)
Vapes,
vaporizers, vape pens, hookah pens, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes
or e-cigs), and e-pipes are some of the many terms used to describe
electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). ENDS are noncombustible
tobacco products.
These products use a liquid “e-liquid” that may
contain nicotine, as well as varying compositions of flavorings,
propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and other ingredients. The liquid
is heated into an aerosol that the user inhales.
ENDS may be
manufactured to look like conventional cigarettes, cigars, or pipes.
Some resemble pens or other everyday items. Larger devices, such as tank
systems or mods, bear little or no resemblance to cigarettes.Food & Drug Website

Misleading lables

Warning letters are part of joint effort to protect youth from dangers
of nicotine and tobacco products and part of FDA’s new Youth Tobacco
Prevention Plan

May 1, 2018

As part of ongoing efforts to protect youth from the dangers of nicotine
and tobacco products, today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and
the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued 13 warning letters to
manufacturers, distributors, and retailers for selling e-liquids used in
e-cigarettes with labeling and/or advertising that cause them to
resemble kid-friendly food products, such as juice boxes, candy or
cookies, some of them with cartoon-like imagery. Several of the
companies receiving warning letters were also cited for illegally
selling the products to minors.